Google, an American multinational technology company is celebrating its 25th birthday today on September 27. In the realm of modern technology, there is perhaps no name more omnipresent than Google. From its humble beginnings to achieving its current status as a global tech giant, Google has revolutionized the way we access and interact with information.
How it all started?
As per the information available, Sergey Brin and Larry Page first met at Stanford University in January 1997 when Sergey Brin, a Ph.D. student at the university, was asked to take Larry Page, who was considering Stanford for his studies, around the campus and the journey of Google, started.
After one year, they started working together to develop a search engine in their dorm rooms and successfully created their first prototype which began to attract the attention of prominent investors in Silicon Valley.
The initial research project was called “Backrub” which eventually turned into Google. Larry Page explored the web’s link structure and paved the way for a groundbreaking search algorithm that pushed Google to its current status as a search powerhouse. By 1998, their project had transformed into Google, a name derived from ‘Googol’, signifying a very large number in mathematics.
In August 1998, Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, invested $100,000 and Google Inc. was officially born. With this important investment, the newly formed team of Google Inc. moved out of their dormitories to the first office, which was a garage located in the suburbs of Menlo Park, California.
Beyond Search
Today, Google’s reach extends far beyond its search engine. With products like YouTube, Android, Gmail, and Google Maps, Google has integrated itself into the daily routine of billions worldwide. Google’s influence started spreading when it became the default search engine for Yahoo in the year 2000. The launch of AdWords in the same year laid the foundation for Google’s dominance in online advertising.
The next big development came in 2004, when Google introduced an astonishing 1GB storage capacity for Gmail, thereby solidifying its place in our lives and overtaking competitors like YahooMail and Microsoft’s Hotmail. The company went public in August of the same year.
Introduction of Google’s Android and YouTube
Google’s innovation extended well beyond search and email. It entered the mobile arena with the acquisition of Android in 2005 and the launch of Google Talk. the 2006, the acquisition of YouTube marked Google’s entry into the online video space.
Google’s acquisition spree continued with DoubleClick, to expand its presence in online advertising in 2007, while the introduction of universal search allowed users to access various content types in a single search.
In 2008, Google unveiled its first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, and introduced the Chrome Web browser. The following years saw the introduction of Google Glass, the acquisition of mapping startup Waze, and the creation of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, with Sundar Pichai taking up the role of Google’s CEO.
What are its future plans?
Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, recently shared his thoughts on the company’s focus on AI in a blog post, highlighting it as a significant opportunity for the next phase of Google’s growth. As Google enters its next 25 years, competition across product segments is fierce. And, excelling in AI will be crucial for Google to maintain its leading position in the industry that demands ongoing innovation and impact.
